NC reports 31st straight day of rising hospitalizations in battle with delta variant

For the 31st straight day, North Carolina saw more people hospitalized due to COVID-19 on Monday than the day before — rounding out a full month of rising hospitalizations.

Since July 9, the number of people hospitalized has more than quadrupled, growing from 409 to 1,946. The state reported 231 new hospitalizations since Friday.

The news comes as North Carolina continues to struggle in its fight against the virus and new, troubling variants. Health officials have warned the delta variant is a more contagious strain of the virus, and poses a significant, ongoing threat to the state.

North Carolina also saw 3,863 new cases Monday, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That broke a two-day trend from last week of over 4,000 new cases per day.

More than 94% of new cases have been among those who are not vaccinated, DHHS officials said last month.

Of those who have been hospitalized, 492 people were in intensive care units as of Monday. That’s 25% of all adult patients with COVID-19.

The state reported 23 new deaths Monday, bringing North Carolina’s running total to 13,759. Deaths do not necessarily occur on the days they are reported, as DHHS updates the death counts for prior days as new information becomes available.

DHHS reported Monday that 11.1% of tests came back positive. That’s up from the day before, and more than double the state’s target of 5%.

The figures come as North Carolina continues to lag behind the nation as a whole in vaccination rates. As of Sunday, 71% of adults in the U.S. were at least partially vaccinated against the virus, while 61.1% were fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In North Carolina, those numbers drop to 62% and 58%, respectively. But vaccination rates vary greatly by county. In some, like Columbus County, just 40% of the adult population has been fully vaccinated. In Orange County, that jumps to 88%.

And with the virus experiencing a resurgence around the state, Durham county and city officials declared a new state of emergency Saturday, requiring that anyone age 5 or older wear masks in all indoor settings, regardless of one’s vaccination status. The mandate goes into effect Monday at 5 p.m.

This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 12:29 PM with the headline "NC reports 31st straight day of rising hospitalizations in battle with delta variant."